Salazar Slytherin
Morfin Gaunt Merope Gaunt Tom Riddle |School = |School House = |Attendance = |Wand = |Patronus = |Animagus = |Boggart = |Occupation = Founder and teacher of Hogwarts School |Loyalty = Slytherin }}'''Salazar Slytherin '''was a wizard who was a co-founder Hogwarts School and the founder of Slytherin House. He was gifted in speaking Parseltongue and skilled at Legilimency. Slytherin was a strong supporter of blood purity and thought that the school shouldn't have accepted Muggle-born students. He and the other founders argued and he left the school. Before he done that, he built the Chamber of Secrets in the hope an Heir of Slytherin would open the Chamber in the future and purge the school of Muggle-borns using a Basilisk he put inside. Biography Early life Slytherin was from fen , a term given to people from Lincoln, Norfolk, Cambridge or their adjoining counties in England. He was able to speak Parseltongue and that was a very rare skill in the wizarding world. It was thought that anyone able to speak Parseltongue was descended from the Slytherin family. Founding Salazar was a very powerful and gifted wizard. The founders were brilliant in their time. He was a friend of Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff and they founded Hogwarts School together. Salazar selected students based upon the values he prized including: cunning, leadership and determination, and he valued those who were pure-blood. He adopted the serpent for the emblem of Slytherin. Leaving the school Slytherin had not wanted the school to teach Muggle-borns because he thought they were untrustworthy and had proposed that they should be selective about what students they teach. But the other founders did not agree and eventually Slytherin and Gryffindor had a huge argument involving a duel. During the founding of the school, Slytherin had built the Chamber of Secrets but he kept it a secret. Even the co-founders were not told. He hatched a Basilisk, the Serpent of Slytherin that just the Heir of Slytherin would be able to control. He had hoped that the Heir would let the Basilisk loose to purge the school of those he found unworthy to study there. He then abandoned the school for good. Legacy Slytherin passed away in the 11th century. Knowledge of the Chamber of Secrets was passed to descendants, but nobody else ever found it and it became a legend of the school. It could be opened using Parseltongue but since it was rare to be able to speak it, it was near impossible to find and open anyway. In the 1942-1943 school year, Slytherin's wish of an Heir opening the Chamber was granted when Tom Riddle found it. However, the attempt to purge the school was unsuccessful and only one girl, Myrtle was killed. Tom closed the Chamber of Secrets when Professor Dumbledore had grown suspicious of him, and Professor Dippet was going to close the school down. In the 1992-1993 school year, the Chamber was opened for the second and final time. Tom Riddle's Diary possessed Ginny Weasley into opening the Chamber of Secrets. The Basilisk Petrified many students but it was unsuccessful in purging the school. Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley found the Chamber of Secrets and Harry killed the Basilisk and shut the Chamber of Secrets down for good. Slytherin's goal was never achieved. Slytherin's Locket was passed down to descendants, eventually to the Gaunt family by 1925. Merope Gaunt sold the Locket to Borgin and Burkes. Tom Riddle eventually purchased it from the shop and he used it to create a Horcrux. Harry Potter found it and it was later destroyed by Ron Weasley using Gryffindor's Sword. Appearance Slytherin's statue in the Chamber decipted an "ancient" and "monkey-like" man with a long thin beard that nearly fell to the ground. A descendant, Marvolo Gaunt was also said to be "monkey-like". Behind the scenes * Slytherin was said to be power-hungry, cunning and determined and went to great lengths to gain what he wanted, even building the Chamber of Secrets. He had enough patience to wait for the goal to be achieved, even if it meant he would not be around when an Heir of Slytherin opened it. * He was a strong supporter of blood purity. * He was very proud and immortalised the image of him in the Chamber with a grand statue. * He possessed a special gift for Legilmency. Notes and sources Category:Characters Category:Wizards Category:Professors